A bump ahead for bullpen

OAKLAND, Calif. -- As you might imagine, a leading topic of conversation in the Red Sox bullpen these days is Mike Timlin's imminent return. A roster spot will have to be created after Timlin completes his rehab assignment in Pawtucket and rejoins the ball club this weekend, which is what the Sox are planning at the moment. Another reliever will likely be sacrificed to make room for the 41-year-old Timlin.

"Whatever happens," veteran reliever Brendan Donnelly said, "it probably won't be fair. That's the nature of the game.

"It's a good problem for Boston to have, but baseball is not always fair. No one is deserving of it in this room. Everyone here has earned their right to be in this room."

The easiest move would be to return Javier Lopez to Pawtucket; he has options remaining, which means the Sox wouldn't have to expose him to waivers and risk losing him. But Lopez has pitched very well since his summons from Pawtucket, allowing runs in just three of his 14 outings. Lefthanded batters are hitting just .214 against him, and he has stranded 12 of 14 inherited runners, which is in some ways a better measure than ERA of how a reliever is faring.

"Javier is too valuable just to let go," Donnelly said, "especially with the quality of lefthanded hitters in this league. But that's a question for Theo [ Epstein] and Tito [Francona] and John [Farrell] to figure out. No one in this room wants to play GM.

"But do we talk about it? Of course. We're human. We're teammates. And this is something that's going to affect someone in this room. Sure, we may sometimes try to play GM, but I learned a long time ago that's impossible."

As with any roster decision, there are only a few options. Waive a player, trade a player, designate a player for assignment, which ultimately could lead to that player's release, or have the good timing for someone to be injured, which would buy the team some time.

Based on performance, Joel Piñeiro would appear to be most vulnerable. He took a 5.01 ERA into last night's game and had been scored upon in six of his last 10 appearances, including a run in Monday night's 5-4 loss to Oakland in 11 innings. Piñeiro didn't distinguish himself in that game when he issued a four-pitch walk to open the ninth after the Sox had rallied to tie the score with two runs in the top of the inning.

But Piñeiro is being paid $4 million, which makes him tougher to trade and also becomes a larger nut for the Sox to swallow if they release him. Piñeiro also is still making a transition from starter to reliever, and the Sox may not be prepared to abandon that project.

Veteran lefthander J.C. Romero has reverted to the wildness that has habitually plagued him, walking 12 in his last 9 2/3 innings, an unacceptable amount. He also has been hit at a steady clip: .308 (24 for 78, with 2 home runs). The Sox have another lefty in Pawtucket, Craig Breslow, with big-league experience who has pitched very well this spring. But Romero pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam Monday night, and has the kind of stuff that makes teams reluctant to give up on him.

Donnelly isn't going anywhere. He's unscored upon in his last six outings -- including four up, four down Monday night -- after hitting a rough patch. Kyle Snyder? He was beaten by Eric Chavez's home run Monday night, but it was the first one he's allowed to a lefthanded batter; lefties are hitting just .121 (4 for 33) against him. Snyder is out of options, which means he'd have to clear waivers.

The unspoken question, of course, is how effective Timlin will be upon his return. His shoulder problems led to a sharp decline in his effectiveness last season, and at 41, he seems unlikely to reclaim the eighth-inning job that has been handled so well by Hideki Okajima.

"It's not a decision I'd want to make," Donnelly said.

Lefthander Jon Lester will pitch again for Pawtucket Saturday, after pitching the first game of Monday's doubleheader. Timlin will pitch no more than one inning tomorrow for the PawSox. That could delay his expected activation from Friday to Saturday in Arizona. "I know he wants to be back, like, yesterday," Francona said. "But you've got to look at the big picture and do it right. The rain, you can't help that, and we're trying to stay on the schedule we came up with." . . . Beau Mills, the son of Sox bench coach Brad Mills, worked out for the San Francisco Giants yesterday and projects to be a first-round draft choice. Mills, a Tom Brady look-alike, set an NAIA record with 38 home runs to lead Lewis-Clark State to the NAIA title. In his last game, he hit three home runs, including a grand slam and a three-run shot. His dad accompanied him to yesterday's workout, which was watched by Giants general manager Brian Sabean. "He did very well," Mills said. "I was very proud of him."

The Sox assigned pitcher Daniel Bard, one of their two first-round draft choices, to Single A Greenville of the South Atlantic League after having him spend some time in extended spring training to work on his mechanics. Bard made his first appearance for Greenville and pitched three innings. He allowed two hits and two runs (one earned), striking out three while walking two and hitting a batter. He was charged with the loss in a 12-5 defeat. Bard, 21, had major control problems pitching for Lancaster in the higher-level Single A California League, giving up 22 walks and 21 hits in just 13 1/3 innings. In Greenville, Bard joins Boston's other top pick in 2006, outfielder Jason Place, who also is struggling with a .220 average, 6 home runs, and 19 RBIs . . . Union chief Gene Orza told the Associated Press that he expects talks to begin soon between management and the union on games in China and Japan next spring. "There are logistical difficulties with doing both China and Japan, but we're interested in a Japan opener and we're interested in playing in Beijing," Orza said. "A lot has to be worked out." Sox CEO Larry Lucchino recently returned from a trip to China with Major League Baseball chief operating officer Bob DuPuy and other officials.

The ever-inventive Lowell Spinners announced that they have acquired the first base used in Game 6 of the 2004 AL Championship Series between the Sox and Yankees -- the game in which Alex Rodriguez administered his notorious slap to Bronson Arroyo -- and plan to use it in games this season. "The Slap was a defining moment of the ALCS," said Spinners general manager Tim Bawmann. "It's a privilege for the Lowell Spinners to present this piece of Red Sox history to our fans as an interactive exhibit during Spinners games." The base was purchased from a memorabilia dealer.

Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.